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Most ranchers know there’s no substitute for laying eyes on your herd animals on a regular basis. We typically check our herd daily. These visual inspections tell us much. Things such as how a cow’s body score is holding up, whether a bred cow is nearing calving time, and if one animal has her head lower to possibly indicate illness. Quick action is important in reducing the negative effects of problems in the herd. And in our opinion that needs to be boots on the ground, physically looking them over.
But sometimes you have need to keep an even closer eye on some in the herd. Maybe you have a cow that you’re pretty sure will be calving within a couple of days. You want to know as soon as she starts pulling away from the herd, possibly indicating labor.